The EFL has confirmed that the Championship play-offs will expand from four to six teams from the 2026/27 season, after all 72 EFL clubs voted in favour at an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday morning.
The change means that from next season, teams finishing as low as eighth in the Championship will have a chance to reach the Premier League. The top two will still go up automatically, with third through to eighth entering the play-offs.
Under the new structure, fifth will host eighth and sixth will host seventh in one-off eliminator ties, with the winners advancing to two-legged semi-finals against the sides that finished third and fourth, before the traditional Wembley final decides who goes up.
The Athletic reports that the format mirrors what is already in place in the National League, English football’s fifth tier, and has been in discussion at the EFL for several seasons.
The FA board had already given its backing before Thursday’s vote, and there was widespread support among Championship clubs going into the meeting.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the organisation was confident the change would strengthen the Championship as a competition, giving more clubs and their supporters a genuine opportunity of achieving promotion.
The Premier League had reservations going in, worried that an eighth-placed Championship side may not be strong enough for top-flight football, but their clubs had no vote on a matter that only affects the EFL.
The precise format of the new play-offs will be confirmed at the EFL’s annual general meeting in the summer, with League One and League Two expected to follow with a similar expansion in the coming years.
